We have finally brought one of our most requested artists to the Tiny Desk: Jill Scott! "I thought about you so much," Scott tells the audience. "I was, like, 'One day, Imma be on Tiny Desk!' " In celebration of her new album, To Whom This May Concern, her first in just over a decade, the Philadelphia poet shares some new music along with the classics we've been yearning for.
Most Jill Scott fans know that her albums are gateways to the live show. For over 25 years, the stage has been where she displays her true artistry as a natural-born performer. Every note and every lyric is sold — sometimes powerful and sometimes gentle, but always with a smile. Which is why she stresses before and after the show that this is "live music," and these mics aren't for decoration. As a songwriter, her ability to write for Black women and to Black men has amassed a loyal following, allowing her to sell out shows, whether she has something new to sell or not.
Draped in a dress with patterns that match her colorful and limitless vocal ability, she starts off with "A Long Walk," from her groundbreaking debut album, Who Is Jill Scott?: Words and Sounds Vol. 1, adding a subtle nod to the late D'Angelo. The new songs, "Beautiful People" and "Don't Play," are as soulful and sultry as anything in her catalog, but everything reaches a proper climax with a version of "The Way" that made the hair on my arms stand up. Jilly from Philly's Tiny Desk is here, and it's exactly what we've been waiting for.
SET LIST
- "A Long Walk"
- "Beautiful People"
- "Cross My Mind"
- "Don't Play"
- "The Way"
MUSICIANS
- Jill Scott: vocals
- Dwayne "DW" Wright: bass, music director
- Adam Smith: guitar
- Eric Wortham II: keys
- David Chiverton: drums
- Dom Thomas: percussion
- Damon "Mr. Dizzy Fingers" Bennett: flute, bass flute
- Theljon Allen: trumpet, flugelhorn
- Gene Noble: background vocals
- Bluu Suede: background vocals
- Deonis "Pumah" Cook: background vocals
TINY DESK TEAM
- Producer: Bobby Carter
- Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
- Audio Engineer/Mix: Josephine Nyounai
- Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Maia Stern, Alanté Serene
- Audio Engineer: Hannah Gluvna
- Production Assistants: Dhanika Pineda, Dora Levite
- Photographer: Elizabeth Gillis
- Tiny Desk Team: Josh Newell, Ashley Pointer
- Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
- Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
- Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton
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